EAM Asaduzzaman

New transmission line may not bring gas to users soon

Establishing a gas transmission line in the country’s northern districts has almost been completed, but people and industries in the region will not benefit from the progress immediately because of a lack of a distribution network.

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Nilsagar: no longer a favourite of birds

Nilsagar, a large man-made waterbody in Nilphamari, was once abuzz with the chirping and fluttering of thousands of migratory birds during winter. However, things changed after 1999.

Small export-oriented garment units struggling to survive

Small export-oriented garment factories in Saidpur of Nilphamari are struggling to recover from setbacks faced during the Covid-19 pandemic, when orders from abroad took a steep dive owing to lower demand amid economic uncertainty.

A flimsy bamboo bridge connects two districts

In 1997-98 fiscal, a bridge was constructed over Bhulli river, connecting Nilphamari and Dinajpur. However, over half of the concrete structure washed away into the river following a flood in 2017.

Saidpur airport to boost connectivity with Nepal, Bhutan

Efforts to turn Saidpur airport in Nilphamari into an international airport are underway as making it a key transit point would boost connectivity with Nepal, Bhutan and the Seven Sister states of India, according to government officials.

Farmers find hope in solar-powered irrigation

Life is easier now for Abu Taleb, 45, a potato farmer of Saddyo Puskuruni village in Rangpur.

Teesta project helps farmers save nearly Tk 95cr in irrigation costs

Farmers in three northern districts, living in the area covered by the Teesta Irrigation Project, saved around Tk 95 crore in irrigation costs during the ongoing Aman season as they got surface water from the Teesta through the canal network at a cheap rate.

Fresh potato prices far higher than previous years

Farmers are enjoying good sales of early harvest potatoes, which cost an astonishing Tk 400 per kilogramme (kg) after hitting markets in Dinajpur and its neighbouring districts by the end of last week.

Flour mills cut production amid wheat shortage

Flour mills in eight northern districts of Rangpur division are struggling to continue production as wheat has become scarce in international markets amid the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, two major exporters of the cereal grain.

Project to improve farming turns sour

Under a project, a farm in Nilphamari was ready for a welcome change, as authorities were supposed to make its land more suitable for the production of seed potatoes.

No one should be living here

Weeds and bushes have taken over the buildings, making them a safe habitat for poisonous insects. The plasters have already fallen off, revealing the inner bricks and iron rods, while doors and windows no longer exist.

Units in Nilphamari flourish despite inadequacies

Although many industrial estates under the Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) seem to be in shambles, the one in Nilphamari paints a picture of success.

One teacher for the entire school!

The challenges of pursuing education for children in rural Bangladesh are manifold, poverty and early marriage are only to name a few.

Small mills suffer for low quality of raw jute

Production has slowed at small jute mills in northern regions of Bangladesh due to low quality of raw jute resulting from problems in retting during harvest, according to market players.

The ghost of a recreation centre

The life of the working class is not easy, and railway workers are no exception to that norm.

Harvesting of early Aman varieties begins

The harvesting of early Aman paddy varieties has begun in five northern districts, namely Lalmonirhat, Kurigram, Gaibandha, Nilphamari, and Rangpur, a relief amid rising prices of rice at home and a growing threat of food crisis globally.

BTMC mills remain shuttered

The reopening of mills owned by the Bangladesh Textile Mills Corporation (BTMC) under a public-private partnership (PPP) programme is still shrouded in mystery as the private sector’s response remains poor eight years after the prime minister issued a directive in this regard.

Green building practices gaining momentum

Green building practices have gained momentum in Bangladesh as eco-friendly bricks are being widely used for all manner of construction in a bid to reduce the environmental degradation caused by conventional brick kilns.

Small, light engineering industries in Saidpur abuzz

Small and light engineering industries in Saidpur have helped the railway town emerge as a hub for producing valuable machinery and spare parts consumed by various sectors, thus cutting dependence on imports, saving foreign currencies and generating jobs for thousands.

Leading by example

“I never thought a government hospital in a remote upazila could render the quality service I received at Domar Upazila Health Complex. I was admitted here to give birth to my first child, and I felt at home,” wrote Sadia Sultana (19) of Domar municipality in the hospital’s comments register on January 24.

‘Natural’ potato storage the new rage in north

Amidst substantial amounts of potato production and subsequent space constraints in cold storages, a new method of stowing the spuds that does not require freezing has come as a blessing for farmers in the country’s northern districts.

New gas pipeline ushers in hope for businesses in north

Around 102 factories in greater Rangpur, including 28 at the Uttara EPZ in Nilphamari, will likely get gas connections by December 2023 as the “Construction of Bogura-Rangpur-Saidpur Gas Transmission Pipeline Project” should be complete by then.

1971 killing ground replaced by a shopping mall

The collaborators of the occupation army killed 200 innocent Bangalees at the directive of the Pakistan army just there. Of the 200, 100 were killed on April 12.

DAE looks north to expand soybean farming

The Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) has taken the initiative to expand soybean cultivation in northern Bangladesh in order to meet the country’s growing demand for edible oil.

Rangpur jute mills in a rundown state

The jute industry in Rangpur is facing collapse as four small mills in the region have shut down while others may follow suit at any time after being compelled to shrink production due to multiple issues.

Grower markets remain idle, govt draws new plan

The government has initiated a move to transform the growers’ markets in Rangpur into hubs for small agro entrepreneurs since they have been lying idle for more than a decade owing largely to farmers and wholesalers’ lack of interest and a propaganda carried out by a vested group.

Charalkata River: Dredged at Tk 130cr, now a cropland

Within one and a half years into the dredging of the Charalkata river, the riverbed has filled up again at different points as sand and earth kept on the banks of the river got deposited to the riverbed in the rainy season.

Rains ruin raw bricks

While rain can be a blessing in providing life-sustaining water, recent showers have turned into the bane of many brick manufacturers’ lives for their use of traditional kilns.

A good Samaritan indeed

A poor man has set an example of magnanimity voluntarily guarding an unmanned rail crossing defying the bone-chilling cold and dense fog at the daybreak to caution Uttara EPZ workers about approaching trains, who are in a mad rush to reach factories in time.

Throwing stones continues

The incidents of throwing stones on moving trains in the West Zone (WZ) of Bangladesh Railway (BR) have been continuing unabatedly despite a campaign by BR to raise awareness.

Farmers opting out of sunflower cultivation

Although sunflower cultivation previously gave the hope of better economic prospects while also delivering healthy edible oil to the common people, farmers are losing interest in the plant for want of a good marketing network.

Spice lifts incomes for farmers

Spice cultivation has enhanced the incomes of farmers in Nilphamari thanks to their higher yield and elevated prices, helping growers overcome losses they incurred in the previous years by producing traditional crops such as paddy, wheat and jute.

Nilphamari has good potential for tourism

Tourism in Rangpur’s Nilphamari could be a boon for the national economy as the district has glorious historical and natural sites to see, including some related to the Liberation War.

Cruel to the core

The words “Nazi forces” bring back memories of the horror unleashed at their concentration camps. What the Pakistani forces and their Bihari cohorts did at the Saidpur Railway Workshop in 1971 was as grisly as those events of World War II.

Farmers trying out alternative edible oil

Bangladesh is trying out cultivation of a plant which various Asian regions consider a handy source of ingredients essential to health.

Delays in govt procurement irk Aman farmers

Although Aman paddy farmers are harvesting the crop in full swing, the government is yet to make good on its promise to buy the kitchen staple through a national procurement drive that began earlier this month.

Improve Chilahati rail station to facilitate trade

Trade between Bangladesh and India through the Haldibari-Chilahati rail link resumed on August 1 after a 56-year hiatus but infrastructure of Chilahati rail station in Nilphamari district has remained inadequate.

Zakaria’s quest for self-dependence still elusive

Thirty-two-year-old Zakaria Hossain, a resident of Dakkhin Sonakhuli village in Nilphamari’s Dimla upazila, was not born blind.

Fast-yielding aman a lifesaver for farmers in lean period

Farmers in Nilphamari district of Rangpur division began harvesting their early-flowering aman paddy halfway through September, bringing a sense of festivity to the area.

Farmers pass busy days cultivating early-harvest potatoes

Farmers in Nilphamari district are cultivating a fast-growing variety of potato in order to maximise their profits before the year ends.

Nilphamari primary schools see dwindling attendance

The attendance of primary students in Nilphamari has seen a decrease of 13pc to 16pc after reopening of school following a long hiatus, which guardians and teachers say may be the result of the end of the school feeding programme.

Small jute mills attempt revival

Small jute mills of Rangpur division in the country’s northwest have resumed production after remaining shut for several months as raw jute prices soared after last year’s harvests and for the pandemic-induced business losses.

Low potato prices leave traders, farmers in a quandary

Potato farmers and traders have been left bewildered by a drastic fall in potato prices this year as many of them had packed their produce into cold storages to sell during the rainy season, when most crops die of flooding and before the arrival of winter crops, in order to maximise profits.